Penn State Basketball: Woodward Set To Transfer From Program

Freshman guard Graham Woodward will transfer from the basketball program according to Penn State.

"Graham has made the decision to continue his playing career elsewhere," Head coach Patrick Chambers said. "He is a tough, hard-working player and a great young man; we wish him the best moving forward."

While at Penn State, Woodward averaged 2.8 points a game and had seen his minutes fluctuate from limited playing time to nearly a full game against Ohio State. Woodward had become -- statistically at least -- Penn State's most productive three-point shooter, making two or more three pointers on six different occasions this season at an overall clip of 39-percent. Some fans had even begun to draw comparisons to the Crispin brothers -- both three-point snipers with quick releases while at Penn State.

With incoming freshman guards Shep Garner and Isaiah Washington headed to Penn State in the coming months and the return of Geno Thorpe, John Johnson and DJ Newbill it's hard to see exactly where Woodward would have fit into the bigger picture. His three point abilities were an asset to the team, but being slightly smaller (6-feet) on the defensive end and having limited secondary offensive options may have seen a decrease in Woodward's minutes. It is possible Woodward had come to a similar conclusion.

The departure gives Penn State options on the transfer and junior college player front with two available scholarships. Chambers and his staff will pursue all available ideas as they do every offseason-- A few prospects are due in town this weekend-- but given that the Nittany Lions are fairly well stocked across the board, those scholarships may at the end of the day be saved for recruiting needs down the road.

Penn State is now entering its fourth season under Chambers and will look to build on a 2013-14 season that saw the Nittany Lions win 16 games, a record bettered only twice since 2001-02.

Editor’s Note: This is the latest in a series previewing Penn State football, part of Onward State and StateCollege.com’s countdown of insight and analysis about head coach James Franklin and his team heading into the Blue-White Game on April 12. Read the previous stories here.

Today’s preview casts speculation on a position that has received the most attention this off-season,